Cal Raleigh Meets Mariners Fan Who Gave 60th HR Ball to Child in Viral MLB Video

The fan who caught Seattle Mariners superstar catcher Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run ball and gave it to a child was rewarded for his generosity on Thursday in the form of getting to meet Raleigh before the Mariners’ game against the Colorado Rockies.

Ahead of Seattle’s 6-2 win over Colorado on Thursday, Raleigh took photos with the fan and his family, and he gifted the fan a personalized, autographed bat:

According to Andrew Destin of the Associated Press, Raleigh also gave the fan two autographed baseballs, which he subsequently gave to his sons.

The fan, known only by his first name Glenn, caught Raleigh’s historic home run ball during Wednesday’s 9-2 win against the Rockies, and he handed it to a young boy who was nearby.

Per Destin, Mariners staff escorted the boy and his father away from their seats to get the ball authenticated, and the boy traded the ball for a Raleigh autographed bat and the chance to watch batting practice on the field.

Raleigh hit a pair of homers during Wednesday’s game, and the second one during the eighth inning cemented his place in baseball history.

He became the seventh different player to ever hit 60 or more home runs in a season, joining Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Aaron Judge.

Raleigh is also the first switch hitter and the first player who is primarily a catcher to hit 60 homers in a single season.

With three games remaining in the regular season for the M’s, Raleigh still has a chance to tie or break the American League single-season home run record.

Judge, who stars for the New York Yankees and is in the midst of a nip-and-tuck AL MVP race with Raleigh, set the record in 2022 by hitting 62 home runs, which broke the record of 61 set by Maris in 1961.

Raleigh and the Mariners start a season-ending, three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, with Raleigh needing two homers to tie or three to surpass Judge’s mark.

The Mariners’ season won’t end there, though, as they have clinched their first AL West title since 2001 and will make only their second playoff appearance since 2001 as a result.

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